Difference between revisions of "PDP-10"

From Computer History Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(New page: A series of large, mainframe-like systems built by DEC. thumb|A PDP-10 1090)
 
(Commercial clones: MAXC wasn't a product)
(33 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
A series of large, mainframe-like systems built by [[DEC]].
+
[[Image:PDP-10 1090.jpg|300px|rightt|thumb|A PDP-10 1090]]
  
[[Image:PDP-10 1090.jpg|thumb|A PDP-10 1090]]
+
A series of large, 36-bit [[word]] [[mainframe]]-like systems built by [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]. They were basically a re-implementation of the earlier [[PDP-6]] [[architecture]], whose [[hardware]] engineering had been a failure. (The machines were so similar at the programming level that PDP-6 [[object code]] could run on a PDP-10.)
 +
 
 +
DEC sold 4 different generations of PDP-10 processors: the [[KA10]], the [[KI10]], the [[KL10]], and the [[KS10]]. The first three were marketed as the [[DECsystem-10]], running the [[TOPS-10]] [[operating system]]; the third was also sold as the [[DECSYSTEM-20]], running [[TOPS-20]]. (The varying capitalization was the result of a trademark infringment suit.)
 +
 
 +
Two other very important operating systems also ran on PDP-10's: MIT's [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]] (a very advanced system, from whence came [[EMACS]], and much more besides), and [[TENEX]], which DEC later turned into TOPS-20.
 +
 
 +
[[Image:DECsystem-10 ad.jpg|150px|left|thumb|PDP-10 ad]]
 +
 
 +
PDP-10s were very important machines on the early [[Internet]], being one of the few (relatively!) cheaply available machines which could run a full NCP and later TCP/IP stack as a multi-user environment at the time.
 +
 
 +
They still have a large following today. There are several good [[simulator]]s available, notably [[SIMH]] and [[KLH10]].
 +
 
 +
==Cancelled projects==
 +
 
 +
The 36-bit line was cancelled many times.  The PDP-6 was difficult to manufacture and maintain, and only 23 were sold; it was cancelled not long after its introduction. However, it made a comeback as the PDP-10, which was a success.
 +
 
 +
* KXF10 "Dolphin", cancelled around 1978.
 +
* KT20 "Minnow", cancelled around 1979.
 +
* KC10 "Jupiter", cancelled 1983.
 +
* KD10
 +
 
 +
==Clones==
 +
 
 +
* [[Xerox PARC]]: [[MAXC]]
 +
 
 +
===Commercial===
 +
 
 +
* [[Foonly]]: [[Foonly F-1|F-1]], F2, F3, F4, F5 (unfinished)
 +
* Systems Concepts: SC-30M, SC-40
 +
* Tymshare: System 26, System 26KL.
 +
* CompuServe: JRG-1 (unfinished)
 +
* XKL: TOAD-1, TOAD-2
 +
 
 +
==Hobbyist recreations==
 +
 
 +
* David Conroy: [http://www.fpgaretrocomputing.org/pdp10x/ PDP-10/X]
 +
* Neil Franklin: [http://neil.franklin.ch/Projects/PDP-10/ (unfinished)]
 +
* Rob Doyle: [https://github.com/KS10FPGA/KS10FPGA KS10 FPGA]
 +
* David Bridgham: [http://pdp10.froghouse.org/ KV10 (in progress)]
 +
* Angelo Papenhoff: [https://github.com/aap/fpdpga FPDPGA], PDP-6 and KA10 FPGA.
 +
 
 +
==Software simulators==
 +
 
 +
* S W Galley: [http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=803947 virtual machine PDP-10]
 +
* Megan Gentry: sim10
 +
* Stu Grossman: [http://github.com/brouhaha/kx10 kx10]
 +
* Ken Harrenstien: [http://github.com/PDP-10/klh10 KLH10]
 +
* Eric Smith: (unfinished)
 +
* Daniel Seagraves: e10
 +
* Tim Stark: [http://ts10.sourceforge.net/ ts10], [http://github.com/fsword7/mse MSE]
 +
* Bob Supnik: KS10 simulator for [http://github.com/simh/simh SIMH].
 +
* Richard Cornwell: [http://github.com/rcornwell/sims PDP-6, KA10, KI10, and KL10 simulators for SIMH]
 +
* Angelo Papenhoff: [http://github.com/aap/pdp6 PDP-6 simulator]
 +
* Bruce Baumgart: [http://www.saildart.org/j5/index.html WAITS reenactment]
 +
* Jeff Parsons: [http://github.com/jeffpar/pcjs PCjs]
 +
* Mark Garrett: [http://github.com/gcsgithub/titan TITAN]
 +
 
 +
==See also==
 +
 
 +
* [[PDP-10 memories]]
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.avanthar.com/healyzh/decemulation/pdp10emu.html The DEC PDP-10 Emulation Webpage]
 +
* [http://pdp10.nocrew.org/gcc/ PDP-10 support for GCC]
 +
* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp10/ Bitsavers documents.]
 +
 
 +
[[Category: DEC Architectures]]
 +
[[Category: PDP-10 Systems]]
 +
[[Category: DEC Mainframes]]

Revision as of 02:03, 10 December 2019

A PDP-10 1090

A series of large, 36-bit word mainframe-like systems built by DEC. They were basically a re-implementation of the earlier PDP-6 architecture, whose hardware engineering had been a failure. (The machines were so similar at the programming level that PDP-6 object code could run on a PDP-10.)

DEC sold 4 different generations of PDP-10 processors: the KA10, the KI10, the KL10, and the KS10. The first three were marketed as the DECsystem-10, running the TOPS-10 operating system; the third was also sold as the DECSYSTEM-20, running TOPS-20. (The varying capitalization was the result of a trademark infringment suit.)

Two other very important operating systems also ran on PDP-10's: MIT's ITS (a very advanced system, from whence came EMACS, and much more besides), and TENEX, which DEC later turned into TOPS-20.

PDP-10 ad

PDP-10s were very important machines on the early Internet, being one of the few (relatively!) cheaply available machines which could run a full NCP and later TCP/IP stack as a multi-user environment at the time.

They still have a large following today. There are several good simulators available, notably SIMH and KLH10.

Cancelled projects

The 36-bit line was cancelled many times. The PDP-6 was difficult to manufacture and maintain, and only 23 were sold; it was cancelled not long after its introduction. However, it made a comeback as the PDP-10, which was a success.

  • KXF10 "Dolphin", cancelled around 1978.
  • KT20 "Minnow", cancelled around 1979.
  • KC10 "Jupiter", cancelled 1983.
  • KD10

Clones

Commercial

  • Foonly: F-1, F2, F3, F4, F5 (unfinished)
  • Systems Concepts: SC-30M, SC-40
  • Tymshare: System 26, System 26KL.
  • CompuServe: JRG-1 (unfinished)
  • XKL: TOAD-1, TOAD-2

Hobbyist recreations

Software simulators

See also

External links